Justinian and His Codification of Roman Law
Justinian I and His Codification of Roman Law
Justinain I, whose full name was Flavius Justinianus in Latin, was the Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. He is commonly known as Justinian the Great, who had spent all his reign restoring the greatness of the Byzantine Empire and trying to reconquer the western half of the Roman Empire. His achievements could be seen in the Roman law, the administrative system of the Empire, religion, literature, architecture and some other fields, enough to prove his great influence on Europe and himself as one of the most influential people in the European Civilization.
Historical records during Justinian I’s reign are fairly abundant and opinions on him seem quite polarized, depicting him both as an extraordinarily talented and brave man with a good intention towards the people of the Byzantine Empire and a heartless man who drained the national treasury and the pockets of his people. But nevertheless, that the Mediterranean world in the sixth century was dominated by Emperor Justinian is an indisputable fact. (Evans, 2005)
In this paper, I would like to focus on only one of Justinian’s achievements – the codification of Roman law, one that gives him his everlasting fame. By going through the process of the codification, I intend to demonstrate Justinian’s great impact on the European legal system and the European Civilization.
Historians consider Justinian judicial reforms as one of his greatest achievements, particularly the Corpus Juris Civilis – Code of Justinian, the codification of the Roman law issued under the order of Justinian from 529 to 534. Unlike some of his other achievements so physical such as the territory of the Byzantine Empire or the marvelous edifices built under his command, his Code still takes up an vital place in today’s legal culture and of course, the European culture. (Humfress, 2006) As Edward Gibbon remarked in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: “The vain titles of the victories of
Justinain I, whose full name was Flavius Justinianus in Latin, was the Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. He is commonly known as Justinian the Great, who had spent all his reign restoring the greatness of the Byzantine Empire and trying to reconquer the western half of the Roman Empire. His achievements could be seen in the Roman law, the administrative system of the Empire, religion, literature, architecture and some other fields, enough to prove his great influence on Europe and himself as one of the most influential people in the European Civilization.
Historical records during Justinian I’s reign are fairly abundant and opinions on him seem quite polarized, depicting him both as an extraordinarily talented and brave man with a good intention towards the people of the Byzantine Empire and a heartless man who drained the national treasury and the pockets of his people. But nevertheless, that the Mediterranean world in the sixth century was dominated by Emperor Justinian is an indisputable fact. (Evans, 2005)
In this paper, I would like to focus on only one of Justinian’s achievements – the codification of Roman law, one that gives him his everlasting fame. By going through the process of the codification, I intend to demonstrate Justinian’s great impact on the European legal system and the European Civilization.
Historians consider Justinian judicial reforms as one of his greatest achievements, particularly the Corpus Juris Civilis – Code of Justinian, the codification of the Roman law issued under the order of Justinian from 529 to 534. Unlike some of his other achievements so physical such as the territory of the Byzantine Empire or the marvelous edifices built under his command, his Code still takes up an vital place in today’s legal culture and of course, the European culture. (Humfress, 2006) As Edward Gibbon remarked in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: “The vain titles of the victories of